FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How come you don't make liquid soap?
A. The short answer is because liquid soap is inferior to bar soap. It's like comparing butter to liquid margarine. Most liquid soaps in the market are liquid detergents (synthetic soap), which are labeled as soap, but they are not soap. True soap is naturally occurring by mixing fats and oils with sodium hydroxide for a bar, or potassium hydroxide for true liquid soap. In addition potassium soaps don't lather as well as sodium soaps. Then for a liquid soap you have to add water, which is another whole challenge, because how do you keep it from going rancid, oxidizing and developing bacteria? You would have to add preservatives, and antibacterial agents. True soap is naturally antibacterial, because of its 9.50 pH. There are a whole bunch of other issues with liquid soaps but I think you get the idea. Which would you prefer? A cube of butter or a bottle of liquid butter with its dozen or more ingredients,
Q. How come some bars are bigger than others?
A. All of our bars will wind up a minimum of five ounces when fully cured, but they don't start at that size. The bars start at about six or more ounces and as they cure over time they will lose some of their water. This is why some bars seem bigger than others. Some may be a month old, and others several months old. In addition all our bars are hand cut, and even though we try and cut them as perfectly as possible, some wind up slightly bigger than others.
Q. How many soap varieties do you make?
A. We currently have about 50 different soaps to choose from.
Q. Is it okay to use more than one bar at a time?
A. Absolutely! In fact we encourage it. Use as many soaps as you like, at as many sinks and showers as possible. Using one bar at a time can be a little boring. We literally have dozens of bars at every sink, bath, and shower. Yes, because we are constantly testing batches, new scents, etc., but it's also so much fun. I know we were all raised with a "one soap bar consciousness", but it doesn't have to be that way. :D
Q. How much is shipping?
A. We offer free domestic shipping on orders over $75.00. Otherwise, it is a $5.00 flat rate shipping for all orders in the USA. International orders are calculated on the check out page.
Q. What are your soaps made of?
A. Our proprietary soap base is vegan. Made from a blend of fruit and vegetable oils, and butters. Each ingredient adds a different lathering characteristic. In addition to the fine ingredients of our soap base we use pure essential oils and fragrance oils. Some soaps are colored naturally, and some with D&C (drug & cosmetic) colorant.
Q. Which is Brett's favorite soap?
A. Of course he loves all Kreamy Soaps, but if he had to choose just one it would be the Double Pine Tar.
Q. What is detergent
A. Simply put it's synthetic soap. Soap is natural and is naturally occurring through the saponification process. Where natural fats are mixed with an alkaline solution and are turned into soap and glycerin. Here's an analogy. No matter how sophisticated a laboratory is, and no matter how big the budget, they can never get margarine to taste like butter!
Q. Do we use alcohol in our soaps?
A. No. We do not use alcohol in our soaps. It is used primarily in translucent and
transparent soaps to create their clear effect. In addition to that it is drying to the skin.
Q. Do you use glycerin in your soap?
A. Our soaps are packed full of naturally occurring glycerin which is a byproduct of the soap making process. Glycerin is really good for moisturizing the skin. Not only that, it helps generate the rich luxurious lather of our Kreamy Soaps. Milled soaps require the glycerin to be washed out to a level of 3-5%. Not enough to condition the skin, but enough to make them pliable enough for the milling machines. Glycerin is one of the main ingredients of shaving cream. That's why our soaps are so great for shaving!
Q. Are your soaps all natural?
A. Yes. In fact almost all of our ingredients are food grade. We only use the finest ingredients in our soap making.
Q. Do you manufacture your own soaps?
A. Yes! We make our soaps entirely from scratch. We do not use a private label
manufacturer to make our soaps. We do not buy blocks of melt and pour, nor do we use soap noodles and mill our bars with a machine. We buy all of the raw ingredients in drums and make the bars by hand using a pan-style cold process method. It is a time consuming process and hard work, but the finished product makes it all worth while.
Q. How should I store my soaps?
A. The best place to store your soap is some where cool and dry like your linen closet, or a sock drawer. Store them in their original packaging so they are protected and can continue to dry.
Q. What is the shelf life of your soaps?
A. We use a all natural preservative/antioxidant so our bars last a long time. If stored correctly your soap should be good for many years. Our Pine Tar Olive Bar, and Clove last a very long time. Feel free to stock up on any of our soaps without worry.
Q. How long does a bar last in the shower?
A. Well this is a hard one to answer. Some people get to use their bar for a few months while others may use it up in a couple weeks. There are a lot of factors to consider regarding this question. Our bars are designed to be very long lasting. We want a very happy customer. We want that bar to last! You can do a few things to help it out though. Keep it out of a wet soap dish. Any bar of soap will melt in a wet soap dish. Try a soap saver in your dish, or use a bottle cap pressed halfway into your bar. Rotate between bars so they can dry out between uses. Use a puff or a sponge to wash with rather than the bar. Just rub the bar a couple of times on the sponge or puff and scrub away. If you do this it will last longer!
Q. What is milled soap?
A. Milled soap simply means machine made. Why this is a selling point we will never know. Basically little soap pellets called noodles are coated with colorant and fragrance, and are crushed, and squeezed, and then pressed into bars. That's it!
Q. How come some soap companies need to age their soap for a couple of
months?
A. The more unsaturated fats you use in soap the longer the bar needs to age in order to get hard (a hard bar generally means long life, but not always). If for example you were to use only coconut oil (saturated fat) to make soap, you would have a rock hard soap in a couple of days. On the other hand if you were to use all soybean oil (unsaturated fat) it would take your bar literally months to cure and get hard.
Q. Can I wash my hair with your soap?
A. Yes absolutely! We recommend using a hair conditioner or a vinegar rinse after cleaning your hair with Kreamy Soaps.
Q. What does pH stand for?
A. pH is short for Positively Charged Hydrogen Ion. It is a scale used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a product. Water has a pH of 7 and is considered neutral. Soap is about 9.5 and is alkaline. Lemons have a pH of about 2.4 and are considered acidic. On the extreme ends of the chart you have Hydrochloric Acid at 0.1, and Caustic Soda at 13.9.
Q. Do you use tallow or lard? What is Tallow anyway?
A. No. Tallow is animal fat. The higher grades being fat rendered from the suet of beef and mutton. There are many grades, the highest being referred to as edible tallow. The higher the grade the better for soap making. Why are commercially milled soaps so heavily perfumed? To mask the meat smell. Most soap on the market is made of tallow. On the label it would be referred to as Sodium Tallowate. Soap has been made out of tallow for centuries,but this is the 21st century and we have better resources to make much finer soaps.
Q. Do you do any animal testing?
A. No. We inspect every batch made, and if the batch meets our standards, it is then tested by us to insure the quality and that it meets our expectations.
Q. What is all the fuss about antibacterial soap?
A. First of all the soap industry is not really regulated so that means manufacturers can say pretty much whatever they want. A true soap is antibacterial all by itself, because of its 9.5 pH. A antibacterial liquid soap is not a soap but a liquid detergent. Since it is neutral, pH balanced, it does not kill germs. These manufacturers add antibacterial agent to kill the
germs, and then call it antibacterial soap. It is not soap. What it really should read is Antibacterial Detergent. That's marketing for you! Also if it is a Beauty Bar it is not soap, but a detergent cake.
Q. Is there creosote in your Pine Tar soap?
A. No. Creosote is formed when pine tar is created in a open kiln. We only use premium Swedish pine tar created in a closed kiln.